Los Angeles Lakers Rumors: Pau Gasol Trade to Phoenix Suns is Dead

By Andrew Fisher

USA Today Sports

Pau Gasol has been involved in trade talks all season long. In fact, it’s been a foregone conclusion to most that he’ll be dealt before the upcoming trade deadline on February 20th. But up to this point, all of the speculation about a Gasol deal has turned out to be just that, speculation. However, legitimate reports emerged last week involving the Phoenix Suns.

Gasol to the Suns sounded like a real possibility for awhile, but now just like all the other potential landing spots for the F/C, Phoenix seems to be out of the mix. Why? The Los Angeles Lakers apparently had a steep asking price for their big man, which included one of the Suns top picks in June’s draft.

At this time, it’s possible that the Suns could end up with four first round picks. They have conditional picks from both Minnesota and Washington, their own first round pick and a selection from Indiana. It’s being said that the Lakers wanted one of the best picks (potentially top 15) for Gasol. For a guy that’s always hurt, that’s a pretty hefty price tag.

Gasol’s reputation as an injury-prone player is well founded, as he’s currently on the shelf dealing with a groin injury. He’s expected to miss a couple weeks and best-case-scenario, he’ll be back in action just before the trade deadline.

Unless the Lakers back off on their trade demands, Gasol isn’t going anywhere. We’ll have to wait and see if another team emerges in this potential trade, but at the moment, it appears he could stay in L.A. after all.